Latest news with #WineontheFox
Chicago Tribune
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Oswego festival puts spotlight on Illinois wineries
Wine lovers flocked to Oswego over the weekend for the annual Wine on the Fox festival held at Hudson Crossing Park along the east bank of the Fox River in the village's downtown. The region's first outdoor spring festival – held Saturday and Sunday – featured more than 100 varietals and blends from Illinois wineries. Bill Fox of Oakbrook Terrace returned to visit his favorite wineries and get acquainted with new ones at the event. He's known among his group of friends as a 'fancy' wine taster because of his slow and steady approach to tasting. 'I gently swirl the glass and use my sense of smell,' Fox said. 'My friends think this is a fancy way to taste wine. It does work.' Experiencing the wine bouquet is almost as good as the wine itself, Fox said while enjoying an offering from Acquaviva Winery, a family-owned 85-acre estate vineyard and winery based in Maple Park. More than 40 acres are under vine there to produce wine for a variety of tastes. 'We harvest and produce on-site,' co-owner Vito Brandonisio said. The family-owned business includes five siblings plus grandchildren, some of whom are beginning to work in the winery as they become of age, Brandonisio said. The Maple Park winery's Don Giuseppe – a dry wine – is named in honor of his grandfather, he said. 'My grandfather had a vineyard in Acquaviva, Italy,' he said. Melanie Hess and Mary Toman enjoyed the Strawberry Peach Sangria – a semi-sweet rose blend – from August Hill Winery in Utica. 'It has the perfect fruity taste,' said Hess, of Yorkville. Toman, of Schaumburg, appreciated its aroma. 'It's a light wine for a sunny spring day,' Toman said. The women said samplings from Illinois wineries at the event were a refreshing change from store-bought labels. Galena Cellars returned to Wine on the Fox, now in its 19th year. 'The Wine on the Fox kicks off our festival season,' Galena Cellars Brand Ambassador Britt White said. She said that Wine on the Fox's turnout is great and the camaraderie of wineries at the event is wonderful. 'The festival runs smoothly from start to finish. Quite honestly, the folks who come are always in a really good mood and that's great for the wineries,' White said. Galena Cellars, which has a tasting room in downtown Galena, is known as one of Illinois' pioneering wineries. 'Our Cabernet Franc won a double gold medal at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. We're very proud of that,' she said. Galena Cellars is preparing to officially release a red raspberry sweet red wine, White said. However, the producer did offer some tastings specially for Wine on the Fox, she said. Lisa and Bob Barry are owners of Tres Rojas Winery in Washington, Illinois. The winery's strawberry sweet fruit wine seemed to appeal to festival attendees. 'It's 100% strawberries,' Lisa Barry said. Thanks to the variety of wines and the ambiance, Tracy Gonzalez of Manteo said the festival is a must for her. 'I keep coming back to the Oswego Wine on the Fox every year,' Gonzalez said. 'I appreciate the friendly atmosphere, fine wine and live music.'
Chicago Tribune
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Tickets now available for Wine on the Fox in Oswego
Tickets are now available for the 19th annual Wine on the Fox festival to be held May 3 and 4 in Oswego. The festival is free to get into and open to all ages, with live music, food trucks and over 100 wine selections from Illinois wineries, organizers said. The fest will run from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 3, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at Hudson Crossing Park, 65 N. Harrison St. in Oswego Live entertainment kicks off at 11 a.m. on May 3 and continues throughout the weekend, according to a press release about the event. For guests who want to enjoy wine and craft beer, tasting packages must be purchased. All alcoholic beverage purchases require a valid ID. Outside beverages are prohibited at the fest except for bottled water and children's drinks, organizers said. Attendees may bring their own food, according to the release. Food vendors will also be on site. For more information and to purchase tickets to the event, go to Event to reveal 'Secrets of the Fabyan Estate' The city of Geneva's Natural Resources Committee will be diving into the environmental history of the Fabyan Villa and Japanese Garden during its next lecture series presentation on Saturday, March 29, group officials said. The 'Secrets of the Fabyan Estate' event will take place from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Geneva Public Library, 227 S. Seventh St. in Geneva, according to a press release about the presentation. The event is free and open to the public. At the event, those attending can learn about the Geneva estate of millionaire Col. George Fabyan, according to the release. Vivien Lasken, director of the Fabyan Museum and Japanese Garden, will lead the presentation about how the garden was established, the issues the property is facing, eco-friendly site improvements and how the environment impacts museum artifacts. Registration is not required. For more event information, go to the Geneva Public Library District's website at Taize prayer service to be offered St. Charles Episcopal Church will offer a Taize prayer service at 4 p.m. Sunday featuring the parish choir and instrumentalists. The church is located at 994 Fifth Ave., just north of North Avenue, in St. Charles. Taize is a small village in eastern France. For over 50 years, it has been the home of a Christian monastic community made up of brothers from many different countries, according to a press release from the church. The prayer service on Sunday will follow a pattern based on the worship of the Taize monastic community, one of whose aims has always been to make Christian worship as simple and uncluttered as possible, church officials said. For more information about this and other upcoming events at the church, go to call 630-584-2596 or e-mail mdowney807@ Free concert planned in Aurora The Chicago-based Avalon String Quartet will present a free community concert at 7 p.m. Friday, April 4, at Aurora Christian School, 2255 Sullivan Road in Aurora, as well as a performance for Aurora Christian students earlier that day. The events are sponsored by the Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame. For tickets for the free community concert, go to The Avalon String Quartert is quartet-in-residence at the Northern Illinois University School of Music and includes Marie Wang and Blaise Magniere, violins; Anthony Devroye, viola; and Cheng-Hou Lee, cello. Classical guitarist to perform The St. Charles Public Library Sunday Concert Series continues at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 16, with a performance by classical guitarist Brad Conroy at the library, 1 S. Sixth Ave. in St. Charles. Conroy, the department chair of guitar at the Music Institute of Chicago, will perform a program that features the music of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Henry Purcell, Fernando Sor and his own original work, library officials said. The public is invited and the concert is free to attend. For more information, go to or call 630-584-0076.
